Bringing Sexy Back

Sex education in the Australian school curriculum has been said to be inadequate and not reflecting present society, with teachers failing to fulfill there duties as cultural workers. Teachers have a crucial role in creating meaning and helping students learn about the society they live in. It is worrying then to see, in a survey of 1219 15-29 year olds, that the consensus was that sexual education in schools was equal to none or very little (Silver 2012). Within a culture that celebrates romantic and sexual relationships, especially through music and film, adolescent interest in risks and experiences of sexual behaviour is not surprising (Schaalma et al 2004). This suggests that there is an obvious disjunction between “the content of sex education and the evidence based needs of young people” (Schaalma et al 2004).

The Tasmanian state government has pushed to celebrate sexual diversity by updating and improving the quality of sex education (Glaetzer 2012). Education Minister Nick McKim has implored that the curriculum for sex education be modified to include “sexuality, gender identity and respectful relationships and to support students who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and inter-sex” (Glaetzer 2012). These implementations have followed from research indicating that young people know very little about common STI’s. This is worrying because most young people in years 11 and 12 are sexually active (Silver 2012). Along with this, is the rise in sexually transmitted diseases, with the blame being pointed at the education system and teachers, because parents are usually themselves uneducated and uncomfortable with times changing severely since their adolescence. 

Sex education is linked to the basic rights individuals are entitles to. Students have that inalienable right to knowledge, and this knowledge needs to cater to their environment. This knowledge can enable students to make well-informed decisions in order to avoid regret, trauma, shock and coercion (Silver, 2012). The Australian Catholic Lobbies response to the Tasmanian state governments plan is a “good illustration of the need for young people to be well-informed, tolerant and understanding of all members of society” states Mr McKim (Glaetzer 2012). If students are taught by teachers, through the education system, about diversity and respect, maybe bullying rates and suicide rates would decrease? Gender identity has been through many changes in the past century, especially in light of feminist and queer movements. Judith Butler stated that “gender is an identity tenuously constituted in time, instituted in an exterior space” (Glover & Kaplan 2009). Perhaps it is time to recognise this by modifying the school curriculum. In years 5 and 6, physical and emotional changes of puberty will be taught and in years 7 and 8, sexuality will be fleshed out  so to reflect the younger ages that students are going through puberty, and begin to explore and form their gender identity (Silver 2012).

References

Glaetzer, S 2012, ‘Sex ed plans under attack’, The Mercury, 4 October, accessed 16 October 2012, < http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2012/10/04/363106_tasmania-news.html>.

Glover, D & Kaplan, C 2009, ‘Introduction: Gendered Histories, Gendered Contexts’, Genders, Routledge, New York.

Schaalma, H.P, Abraham, C, Gillmore, M.R & Kok, G 2004, ‘Sex education as health promotion: What does it take?’, Archives of Sexual Behaviour, vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 259-269.

Silver, M 2012, ‘Lets talk about sex’, Sydney Morning Herald, 10 October, accessed 17 October 2012, < http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life/lets-talk-about-sex-20121009-27b93.html>.